Electric clock.



E. E. CLEMENT ELEGTRIG CLOCK. APPLICATION FILE-D DEC. 2, 1905.

920,024. Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SEEET l.

1 I Ill W/ TNESSES:

E. E. CLEMENT. ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 2, 1905.

Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 E. E. CLEMENT.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED 17110.2, 1905.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

E. E. CLEMENT. ELECTRIC CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, 1905' 920,024. Patented Apr. 27, 1909:

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES p rnnr OFFICE.

EDWARD E. CLEMENT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ELECTRIC cLocx.

Specification of LettersIl Eatent.

Patented April 27, 1909.

Application filed December 2, 1905. Serial No. 289,977.

, To all whom it may concern:

' terial.

The invention has for its object the production of acontrollin' system and the apparatus therefor, where y the use of moving parts upon the dial may be, avoided, indications may be perfectly visible at night, and sundry other benefits and advantages may be derived, which will sufliciently appear from the following statement and description. I

According to my invention, I provide a masterclockuvhose hour and minute arbors are connected directly to the arms of a stationary commutator, which are provided with electrical bridges connecting the several segments of the commutator, from which the cable passes to the dial or dials upon which the indications are to appear.

'At night the indications are produced through the agency of electric lights, and by day through the agency of electro -magnets or other suitable means electrically o erated.

Any number of dials may be control ed from the same cable by the familiar method of multiple connections, ifincandescent lamps or their e uivalents are used.

In emp oying the invention upon a very large scale are lights might be resorted to, and in such case series connections would be necessary, although I consider the multiple connections preferable.

Around the dial of the clockI preferably arrange twelve lamps to indicate the hours,

and these are in one circuit kept constantly supplied with current, so that they all burn. Around the outside of this circle I provide sixty others, each marking a minute division.

Around the inside of the circle are twelve other lamps each-opposite one of the corresponding hour lamps. K

In operation, the particular hour lamp is lighted in the inner circle which corres onds to the current hour, while the minute amps in the outer circle light successively as time circle, the time then changing in current phase from half-past one to 29 minutes of two; and as a matter of fact the change cor responding withthe effect produced on the eye more nearly than it would if produced upon the even hour.

In wiring: the lamps, the permanently lighted or intermediate circle of hour lamps are all in the same circuit permanently closed. For the outer or minute lamps the simplest scheme calls for sixty individual wires and a common return, which may be on one side of the permanent lamp cir'ou-it. Similarly the twelve hour lamps call for twelve individualwires and a common return, which again may be the same as one side of the permanent circuit. Thus wewould have seventy-four wires passing from the dial through the cable to the commutator controlled by the clock. The minute hand of the clock being connected to the dynamo would pass over sixty segments connected to the sixty minute lamp wires, and the hour hand being also connected to the dynamo would pass over twelve segments connected to the twelve hour lamp wires.

1 With my invention I am enabled to obviate the above difliculties; and to dispense with a great number of wires, and, at the same time, erform the function sought equally as we 1.

In .case the device is used with electromagnets and'lights, there will be two dials, one within the other, and two cable branches leading from the main; or I might arrange only one dialto be operated by either electromagnets or by incandescent lights. In the former case, the hour designations will be shown as is usual on ordinary clocks.

In the drawingsFigure '1 is a face view of the clock. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the hour lamp circuit and the continuously-burning hour lamps showing in plan the hour commutator with a conventional. illustration of a master-clock. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing in diagram the minute lamp circuit and showing in plan the minute commutator, with its crating arm connected to the minute ar or of the masterclock. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the simplest form of multiple s stem. Fig. 5 is a side view with the clock d1al in section, and

showing the position of an electro-magnet,

and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the dial as used in Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig.2 of the drawings, 1 represents a continuously revolving shaft which is driven by the hour'arbor of a master clock In Fig. 3 the shaft 9 is connected to the minute arbor of the master clock train and carries the arm 10 similar to the arm 2 in all respects, with the exception that its rate of travel is twelve times faster than the hour arm 2. The brushes 11 and 11 carried by the arm 10. are adapted to travel over the face of the commutator, which is divided into rings 12, 13, 14 and 15, designated as the twelve hour feed, minute, group and return rings,respectively. Rings 12 and 15 are identical with rings 5 and 8 of the hour part, but rings 13 and 14 are divided into sixty and ten .divisions, respectively, the sixty divisions representing minutes, and the ten divisionsgroups of six,.to which common returns are connected. A

In the diagram shown in Fig. 2, there are amps which are indicated at 16, and which are constantly fed with current from the generator G by wires 17 and 18, the latter representing the return conductor. These lamps 16 form the inner circle on the dial 19, and are wired in multiple between the wires 17 and 18, as shown. Arranged in groups of three, and fed with current fromwires connected with the commutator, are a series of twelve lamps 20 adapted to light. successively as the arm 2 passes over the commutator segments. each group is fed from wire 21, the second in each group from wire 22, and the first from wire 23. Group A is. provided with th common return 24, group B the common r turn 25, group C with common return 26, and oup D with the common return-27. The eed wire 21 is connected to the third lam sion 28 of the ring 6 on the commutator; the feed wire 22 is connected to the second lamp The third lamp dial 19. Pivoted between each group, and to the third section or iviin each group, and to the second section or division 29, and the feed wire 23 connectedto the first lamp 2O in'each group, and to the first division '30 of the commutator ring. 6. The four divisions in rin: 7 of the commutator are numbered as follows: 31 32,33 and 34, and are connected to the return wires 24, 25, 26 and27, respectively, which are in turn connected to each group A, B, O and D. Divisions28, 29 and 30 of ring 6 are sepa; rated by suitable insulating material 35, which, between divisions 28 and 30, extends over into ring 7, and'forms-the divisions 31, 32, 33 and 34. As the brush 4 bridges rings 5 and 6 the current in feed ring 5 is conveyed to that particular'division in ring 6, on which the brush 4 is resting. After passing through the lamp 20, which is connected to that particular division,-and it will be remembered that each lamp is connected to one hour division,it'passes by the return conductor connected to the group in which that especial lamp is located, to the generator G by way of the grou ring 7 and return ring 8 over brush 3. Gbnnected in multiple with the wires 17 and 18 is the central guiding lamp Zfwhich is adapted to guide the eye in ascertaining the radial direction from center of the hour and minute indications.-

In Fig. 3 I have shownthe circuit of the minute lamps. The arrangement of this circuit is identical with that of the hour lamps, with the exception that instead of three groupsof lamps containing three each, I have divided the 60 lamps into groups of six lam s each, which are represented by the numera 3. 4748 and 49, which are fed, res ectively, by conductors 52 to 59. There eing s1x lamps in each grou of the ten arranged around the clock dia itis only necessary to have six common returns, and these are represented by the numerals 60 to 65, respectively, the latter leading from the last lamp in each roup by way of wire 66, and the first one eing connected to the first lamp in each group by wire 67.

cuit, own in Fig. 3, and the lamps 16 of the hour circuit shpwn in 2, I may use the electro-ma nets shown'in Fi 5, which are- In place of thelamps68 of theminute cir- I where it is provided 'with a mounting end 72 u on which is secured an electro-magnet 73, with its core 74 extending away from the ugs 75, upon the top of the magnet, is the armature 76. Lying along the upper face of the magnet 73 is an arm 77 integral with or rigidlysecured to the armature 76, and provided at its forward end with a curved and depending portion 77, which is painted or otherwise colo'red traps;

upon its forward face in two distinct colors. Between the lines X-X the portion 77 is this type, in which, first, lamps or signals are produced successively around the circle,

paintedwhite on its face, and between the without any traveling mechanical parts, and, war lineX and the bottom it is. ainted second, combinations of wires are employed black. The white portion between t e lines I by making each Wire a common return for a X' X normally rests so that it is seen through the aperture 78 in, the front of the certain group of lamps and then combining the groups so that no two lamps will be condial, but when the magnet is energized, and 5 nected between the same two wires, eXce t the armature 76 pulled up, the portion 77 is raised so that thewhite portion between the line X is not seen, and the black portion is only visible in the opening 78. All of the ma nets 73, which are used both for hour an minute indications, are so ositioned around the clock dial as to have t eir armatures return to normal position by gravity, when the current is cut off the respective magnets in succession. The fragmentary view shown in Fig. 6 indicates the dial as provided with openings, 78, of triangular formation for the minutes, and 12 openings arranged inside the minute openings, together with hour indications between the minute and the hour 0 enings.

In Fig. 4 I ii me. be used in connection with this device, an which shows a pluralit of clocks connected to andoperated by t e commutators' 8081, the former of which represents the minute commutator, and the latter of which represents the hour commutator, both being connected to the generator G, and both having leads 8283 connectedto the cable 84, leading from which, at any desired points,

are the subscribers leads 85 connected to the clocks 86.

Where tower clocks are employed, of the present forn'r, using movingarts and illumined dial faces, it 1s extreme y difiicult, and it has been found almost im 'oss'ible, to light the dial to such brightness t rat the hour can be told at a distance of more than two. miles.

the use of all ordinary and well known appliances found desirable with my invention. Thus, the numbers of the hours. may be marked upon ground glass windows, or other transparencies, which may be used to cover and protect the lamps, in a manner well understood in the art of electric lighting. Such additions, and any modifications, of which I contemplate many, which may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, are intended to be included within the sec e of my claims. I consider 'myself to be t e first to produce a clock of ave shown a system which- I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an electrical clock, the combination with a support, of indicating devices arranged thereon in groups representing hours, indicating devices arran ed in groups representing minutes, a set 0 common feeds for corresponding devices in all the groups, a common return for each group, and means for operating each device in chr'onometric order.

2. In an electrical clock, the combination with a dial or support, of time indicating. lamps arranged around said dial in groups to represent hours and minutes, a plurality of feed conductors connected each to a separated group of said lamps, a common return for corresponding individual lamps in-a plurality of groups, and means apart from the clock connected to said conductors for suplying current thereto in combinations of eed and return conductors, such as to light the lamps in roper chronometric sequence.

3. In a cloc r, the combination with a support, of electrical indicating devices arranged thereon in groups, alead for each group, and

a set of returns, one for each set of corres onding devices in all the groups whereby t 1e number of conductors is rendered less than the number of indicating devices. 4. In a clock, the combination with a support, of indicating devices arranged thereon in groups, a common feed conductor for each grou a set of common returns, one for each set of corresponding devices in all the groups, means for operating each device in chronometric order, other indicating devices on said support, and means for continuously operating said last mentioned devices.

-5. In an electric clock, the combination with a dial or support, indicating devices arranged thereon, means-apart from the dial for operating said indicating devices in chronometric order, a plurality of group dicating devices arranged around the dial and adapted to show hour points, means for continuously operating them, and a centrally disposed indicating device for radial guidance.

6. An electrical clock system comprising the following instrumentalities: a support, electrical indlcating devices arranged in a circular figure thereon in the relative order of hours and of minutes, conducting wires less in number than the mdlcatmg devices, connected thereto in predetermined combinations, a master chronometer, a commutator device driven thereby, and connections from said wires and the commutator segments such that as the commutator contacts travel to said commutator in such predetermined combinations that at any given moment the position of the commutator contacts on its segments will efiect the proper circuit connections to automaticall display the corresppnding indication on the clock face,

' 8. An electrical clock system comprising the following instrumentalities: a support, a plurality of electric lamps arranged m a circular figure around the support,-in the relative order of hours and of minutes, a master chronometer mechanically separate therefrom, a source of current sup ly for the lamps, and a commutator deviceIr rings connected to said source, and segments connected throu h suitable conductors to said lamps, toget er with traveling contacts adapted to bridge the feed rings and segments, and means whereby said contacts are driven from the master chronometer so thatat any given instant they will make the proper connectionsto feed current through.

the wires leading to the lamps in the hour and minute set corresponding to that instant of time.

9. An electrical clock system comprising the following instrumentalities: a support with electrical indicating devices, circuit wires leading therefrom, a source of current therefor, a master chronometer, and a comrent in proper sequence through said WIIGS tO said lamps, said commutator having a continuous mner feed ring connected to the source of current, separated segments suraving feed currounding the same, and continuously traveling means bridging the two so as to connect the segments in sequence to the ring.

10. In an electrical clock system, supporting means, electrical devices indicating by their position hours and minutes, c1rcu1t Wires and a source of current therefor, a mas ter chronometer, and a commutator comprlsing separated segments corresponding to the indicating devices, associated common terminals, connected to the source of current, and contacts driven by the cr-mmutator so as to connect the segments and the common terminals to supply current at each instant to the appropriate hour and minute lamps respectively. I

. 11. In an electrical clock system, a c1rcular series of electrical lamps arranged in order of hours and of minutes, for radial reading from a center, a master chronometer, a source of current, and a commutator comprising a pair of feed rings connected to the source of current, a plurality of hour segments and of minute segments connected to the hour and minute lamps and a pair of traveling contacts for bridging the hour and minute segments respectively, carried on a pair of hour and minute hands driven by the said chronometer.

12. In an electrical clock system, a plurality of dials or supports, each having electrical indicating devices arranged around its face in the order of hours and of minutes, a plurality of wires less than the total number of indicating devices on any one dial, a master chronometer and acommutator driven thereby, together with a source of current adapted to be applied by the commutator to said wires in varying predetermined combinations corresponding to the successive moments of time, and connections from the indicating devices on all the dials to the aforesaid wires such that the variations in current supply effected by the commutator will operate them simultaneously and in proper order to show the time.

13. An electrical clock system, a support without moving parts, fixed electrical indicating devices arranged in circular order of hours and of minutes on said support, circuit connections therefor, a commutator and a source of current supply, and a chronometer driving the commutator to feed current through said circuit connections to successive combinations of signal devices to properl indicate the time. i n testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD CLEMENT. 

